COVID-19 vaccine trials around the world are making encouraging progress, helping to sustain our (some say unsustainable) market optimism.

In Australia, a leading early stage vaccine candidate is now shown to protect against virus replication and reduce lung inflammation in hamsters exposed to COVID-19.

It also looks like the University of Queensland-led vaccine can be manufactured at scale, project co-leader Associate Professor Keith Chappell said this morning.

“One of the big challenges in the development of vaccines is the ability to produce them at sufficient scale for widespread use,” Dr Chappell said.

“We are working with CSL to ensure the production yield is as efficient as possible and have every confidence they will be able to manufacture the millions of doses required to protect the Australian public.

“The phase-one study being conducted in Queensland is progressing well and assuming the study demonstrates adequate safety and immune responses, data should be available in time for CSL to commence the required large-scale efficacy study before the end of the year.”

 

In Markets:

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ indexes hit fresh all-time highs as the US and China officials restated their commitment to the ‘Phase One’ trade deal.

Global oil prices touched five-month highs on Tuesday from a very low base.

Base metals were up, while booming gold and iron ore prices pulled back slightly.

The local bourse was down sharply in morning trade, with the benchmark ASX 200 index shedding over 1.2 per cent by 12pm AEST.

 

WINNERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Wednesday August 26:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.

CODE COMPANY PRICE CHANGE MARKET CAP
CBY Canterbury Resources 0.15 74.16% $8.2M
FGO Flamingo 0.003 50.00% $2.2M
DDD 333D 0.002 50.00% $16.6M
IKW Ikwezi Mining 0.004 33.33% $12.2M
MNB Minbos Resources 0.0025 25.00% $11.3M
CLZ Classic Minerals 0.003 25.00% $26.1M
ENT Enterprise Metals 0.028 21.74% $11.0M
CGN Crater Gold Mining 0.012 20.00% $12.3M
KAS Kasbah Resources 0.013 18.18% $1.5M
SI6 Six Sigma Metals 0.013 18.18% $11.5M
Z1P Zip 8.85 16.91% $3.0B
ICG Inca Minerals 0.004 16.67% $12.2M
AOA Ausmon Resources 0.007 16.67% $3.8M
8CO 8Common 0.098 16.67% $15.4M
UCW UCW 0.14 16.67% $14.1M
AAJ Aruma Resources 0.007 16.67% $6.8M
LAM Laramide Resources 0.35 16.67% $49.6M
AZI Alta Zinc 0.007 16.67% $16.5M
TNT Tesserent 0.26 15.56% $141.1M
CGO CPT Global 0.15 15.38% $5.0M
MME Moneyme 1.655 14.93% $244.0M
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Explorer Canterbury Resources (ASX:CBY) has unveiled maiden resources for a couple of copper-gold porphyry deposits in PNG – 2.2 million ounces of gold and 288,000 tonnes copper.

Tesserent (ASX:TNT) has acquired Airloom, a Sydney-based cybersecurity firm which made +$27m in revenues for FY20.

Explorer Aruma Resources (ASX:AAJ) has identified anomalous gold at its Melrose project, adjacent to Northern Star Resources’ (ASX:NST) Paulsens gold mine and its Belvedere deposit in WA.

Software platform 8common (ASX:8CO) has snared five new government contracts worth ~$700,000.

And minnow Six Sigma Metals (ASX:SI6) is green two days in a row following yesterday’s WA gold project acquisition announcement.

LOSERS

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Wednesday August 26:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.

CODE COMPANY PRICE CHANGE MARKET CAP
ARO Astro Resources 0.004 -33.33% $5.1M
ANW Aus Tin Mining 0.001 -33.33% $3.1M
ECT Environmental Clean Technologies 0.001 -33.33% $2.4M
CYQ Cycliq 0.003 -25.00% $5.9M
PSL Paterson Resources 0.003 -25.00% $15.4M
DHR Dark Horse Resources 0.002 -20.00% $8.1M
SHK Stone Resources Australia 0.031 -18.42% $24.9M
POD Podium Minerals 0.083 -17.00% $25.9M
CZN Corazon Mining 0.0025 -16.67% $9.7M
PSZ PS&C 0.041 -16.33% $24.6M
BVS Bravura Solutions 3.68 -14.81% $1.1B
OAR Oakdale Resources 0.006 -14.29% $10.5M
MRQ MRG Metals 0.006 -14.29% $8.6M
WNB Wellness Beauty Solutions 0.006 -14.29% $9.1M
IDZ Indoor Skydive AUS Group 0.006 -14.29% $2.4M
AMA AMA Group 0.58 -13.43% $491.7M
MOW MOQ 0.13 -13.33% $26.6M
CCG CommsChoice 0.1 -13.04% $22.0M
AGS Alliance Resources 0.205 -12.77% $41.9M
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